How to find a networking event near you

Most business owners and entrepreneurs know that the old adage - it’s not what you know, it’s who you know – is truer today than it ever was. If you’re in any business it’s increasingly important to extend your network, and to be successful you need to know as many people as possible who can help you develop and even grow your business. But, how do you find the best networking events for you, and if your budget is tight (or even non-existent, if you are a start-up), how do you find the best free networking events?

In the UK, at the time of writing (October 2020), many if not all networking events, moved from face-to-face settings to online meetings; however, networking is still as important as ever, and perhaps Covid-19 has made them even more accessible and popular than ever before. With online or virtual meet ups, many can now fit these events in around their already busy schedules.

For those new to networking, the benefits may not be immediately clear. Often businesspeople are too busy working at their business rather than on it – they may also be put off by the thought of entering a room full of people who you are actively trying to sell to you. However, networking isn’t all about sales and standing up to pitch yourself, your product or your ideas to others – networking enables you to connect with new people; through discussions and creating relationships with these new people they may become new clients who buy your product or service or they may become part of your network and help you improve your business by working with you as a partner or by helping you see where you may need to refocus your business – the latter is particularly important in the current climate as businesses are pivoting to adapt to the changes that COVID-19 has presented.

Event central is a site that enables you to find networking events that are accessible to you or available to attend online, and if you are a networking event host you can add as many events as you wish. It’s easy to use and best of all it’s free - there are no restrictions on the number of events you can add, or the number of alerts you can create.

Following a recent Event Central user poll, 73% indicated that they preferred the online networking format because they are easy to get to and fit in between other commitments. However, there are some negatives to online events – for example, you clearly don’t get the full experience that you would get if you were meeting people in person, and as these events are often conducted over a lunch hour, you don’t get fed!

If you make Event Central your no.1 place for finding new networking events, you’re bound to be able to fit in more than you would previously, and with the introduction of so many online events you may even be able to attend events taking place in other countries that you previously would not be able to attend. So, search and find as many events as you can fit into your schedule, meet people and happy networking!

Image courtesy of Darya Tryfanava